bring it to the table.
POTLUCK
About the Recipe
I decided to make this for Mother's Day a year ago on a whim -- I had no idea how it would turn out, and honestly mostly winged it. A lot of things were accidental; for example, the slightly folded parchment paper underneath a few of the crusts was a total mistake but ended up giving the crust a 'petal' look with the folded baked exterior. The result was so much prettier and tastier than I could have ever expected, and I was extremely proud of myself -- as seen by my endless photoshoot of the tarts that followed. It gave me a peek into the following baking craze, where I began to trust myself enough to step away from the path every now and then and think up my own recipes.
Ingredients
For the crust:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup coarse brown sugar (or confectioners’ sugar for smooth shortbread)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 tbsp cold water
For the filling:
6 ripe strawberries (12 if topping with strawberry 'roses')
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
Steps
Step 1:
Mix together flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl or food processor. Then, add the cubed cold butter and combine with the food processor or with your hands until the texture is similar to sand. Add the cold water and combine until the mixture holds together in one clump. If too sticky, add a little more flour, and if too dry, add a touch more water.
(3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup coarse sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tbsp cold water)
Step 2:
Press down into muffin tins/baking sheet of choice. * I recommend using parchment paper underneath to ensure easy removal of tarts and a flower-like shape after baking. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to cool.
Step 3:
In a saucepan, stir diced strawberries over medium heat until it begins to release juices. Then, add the sugar, honey, and lemon juice. Once the mixture has come to a slight simmer, turn off the heat, add the cornstarch, and stir until thickens. Set aside to cool.
(6 ripe diced strawberries, 1 tbsp raw honey, 1/2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice1, 1/2 tbsp cornstarch)
Step 4:
Add strawberry filling to each shortbread crust.Â
Optional: cut strawberry roses by holding a strawberry by the stem so that the 'nose' of the berry faces upwards, and make small cuts 3/4ths of the way down on the outer edge of the strawberry in a spiral, slowly cutting 'petals' closer to the middle of the berry. The final cut should be a small single cut downwards in the middle of the strawberry. Then, remove the stem and place facing upwards on top of the tart.
Ready to devour!